Golf is a popular sport played with golf equipment including golf clubs and golf balls. Each golf club includes a head (the part that strikes the golf ball), a shaft, and a grip (the part where the golfer holds the club). When a golfer purchases a golf club it typically has the head, shaft and grip attached. It is common for the golfer to re-grip the golf club when the grip becomes worn over time. It is also common for a golfer to switch grips as a matter of preference of one type of grip over another. The golf club grip requires certain features, which will be discussed herein, in order to be installed properly onto the golf club shaft.
A golf club grip typically includes the following components: the grip walls (the part of the grip that surrounds (or wraps around) the shaft of the golf club), the end cap (the part of the grip that is above the end of the golf club shaft), and a drain hole (typically located in the center of the end cap). The drain hole serves an important purpose. When a grip is attached to a golf club, the installer typically uses double-sided adhesive (aka “grip tape”) and a lubricant/oil. The lubricant is required for the installer to be able to slide the grip over the grip tape into the correct position on the golf club shaft. When the grip slides into position the lubricant needs a way to escape or it could get trapped in the shaft of the golf club. Further, without a drain hole there would be nowhere for the air to escape when the grip is installed onto the golf club shaft.
Due to advances in technology and the growing popularity of RFID technology, there are many possible applications for RFID in sports. In the sport of golf, there is known art related to attaching unique identifiers, including RFID tags, to golf clubs. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,483, 6,023,225, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,211 (Boley) discuss the concept of attaching unique identifiers and RFID tags to golf clubs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,226,495, D627,021, D649,609, D633,966, D649,610 and D664,619 (Savarese et al.) also discuss in detail various methods, apparatuses and designs for attaching or embedding RFID tags to golf grips and clubs. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/232,687 (Rose) discusses providing an air passage on the outside surfaces of an attachable tag in order to prevent air pressure build up and to prevent an attached tag from popping off during an impact of the golf club. However, existing manners of attaching a RFID tag to a golf club grip may compromise the functionality or aesthetics of the golf club grip.